Practical trade training in Bradford since 2006
Our training. Their stories.
Professional cricketers learning new skills. A Kellingley miner preparing for life beyond the pit. Adults changing direction after redundancy. Families discovering practical trades together. YTA’s history is about the people who come through our doors and what they want to do next.
Explore selected coverage from the BBC, regional newspapers, the Professional Cricketers’ Association and the trade press, alongside an Education Bradford feature from our early years.
These dated stories form part of our history. For a view of YTA today, meet our tutors, hear from students and explore our current courses.
YTA Media and Press Timeline
Selected stories from our work in trade training, personal development and the Bradford community.
A record of our history: Dates below refer to the original coverage. Older programmes and qualification details may have changed; our current course pages explain what is available today.
· Trade press
Tile & Stone Journal
A place in the construction training guide
YTA appeared in the journal’s November 2018 training guide, with a feature outlining practical learning for home improvers, career changers and people developing their construction skills.
“an established and recognised training centre within the construction trade industry”
The feature described YTA’s range of trades and training routes, from introductory courses through to assessment options for experienced workers. It also referred to provision for individuals, schools, colleges and companies.
We retain a clipping of this feature in our archive. Its qualification descriptions relate to 2018.
View the archived journal clipping →
Explore today: Tiling courses and multi-skill training.
· BBC One documentary
The Last Miners: Kevin Rowe at YTA
From Kellingley Colliery to learning new trade skills
In February 2016, a documentary crew visited YTA in Bradford to film Kevin Rowe during his practical training. Kevin was one of Kellingley’s final miners, facing a change of direction after the closure of Britain’s last deep coal mine.
Produced by KEO Films for BBC One, The Last Miners followed the workers through the final weeks of Kellingley Colliery and the transition to life beyond the pit. The mine closed on 18 December 2015, bringing an end to a significant chapter in Britain’s industrial history.
Kevin, a shift overman at Kellingley, was one of the documentary’s central figures. His story helped show the personal impact of the closure and the decisions facing people whose working lives had been built around mining.
Filming at YTA: February 2016
BBC One broadcasts: 21 and 28 November 2016
At YTA, the filming focused on another stage of Kevin’s journey: learning practical trade skills as he considered his future after coal mining. His time at the centre remains a memorable part of our history of helping adults explore new skills and a different direction.
Read about The Last Miners on the producer’s website →
Considering retraining? Explore our multi-skill courses or talk to YTA about your plans.
May–June 2016 · Regional press
Sheffield & Rotherham Coverage
From steelworking to a new role in construction
YTA’s press archive records the story of Graham Makepeace, who retrained after redundancy from Tata. Coverage appeared in the Sheffield Star in June 2016 and Rotherham reporting in May 2016.
The reports described a month of training in plastering, plumbing and joinery, followed by employment with Barratt and David Wilson Homes.
His story illustrates how learning several trades can support a change of direction. It is an individual account from 2016, reflecting his own experience and circumstances.
Historical summary preserved from YTA’s existing press archive.
Planning your own next step? Explore our four-week multi-skill course or talk to YTA about your training plans.
· Regional newspaper
Telegraph & Argus
Why the future of trade skills matters
Our archived Telegraph & Argus coverage examined concerns about experienced construction workers reaching retirement and whether enough new people were entering the industry.
“A large percentage of the construction industry is aged between 50 and 60.”
The discussion forms part of the wider story behind trade training: passing on practical knowledge and helping new learners develop their skills.
Visit the Telegraph & Argus article →
Explore today: Meet YTA’s tutors and compare our multi-skill courses.
· Professional sport
Professional Cricketers’ Association
Yorkshire cricketers develop skills beyond the pitch
The PCA reported on Tim Bresnan, Richard Pyrah and Andrew Hodd attending plumbing and plastering training at YTA’s Bradford centre.
Former Yorkshire player Matthew Wood arranged the sessions through his personal development role with the association. The players committed time during the winter to learning practical skills.
“It was quite intensive, nine to four with an hour for lunch, but very useful”
Bresnan discussed practising the techniques he had learned, using his new skills in property maintenance and considering opportunities after cricket. Wood described the training as something the players themselves wanted to pursue.
Read the original PCA feature →
Explore today: Plumbing courses and plastering courses.
· Television
BBC Breakfast
A chapter from YTA’s earlier training work
BBC Breakfast visited YTA for coverage concerning young people who were outside education, employment or training.
The visit relates to a former youth training programme at our previous premises. It forms part of YTA’s history; the centre now focuses on practical training for adults.
This is an archive link. Availability of the original video is controlled by the BBC.
Explore today: See YTA training videos.
Autumn 2009 · Education newsletter
Education Bradford: Term Times
Bringing families into practical learning
Education Bradford’s autumn newsletter featured its Family Learning Team working with Yorkshire Tiling Academy, the YTA name used in the report.
The programme brought fathers and children into training covering tiling, plumbing, joinery and ICT, combining independent tasks with opportunities to learn together.
“There is great take up and interest in these courses”
The front-page feature records an early chapter in YTA’s community work. The funded programme described is historical.
Student Stories & Videos
The press archive tells part of our story. Students offer another perspective: what it feels like to try a trade, practise the techniques and make progress during a course.
Explore our existing training videos and student feedback to get a closer look at learning at YTA.
Have you shared your YTA experience?
If you have filmed your course, written about your training or completed a project using skills you learned here, we would love to hear from you. Send your story or original post link to info@ytatraining.com.
Get to Know YTA Today
YTA has delivered practical trade training since 2006. At our Bradford centre, adults come to develop skills for home projects, property maintenance, existing businesses and a change of career.
People with trade experience
Meet the tutors and assessors who guide students through the practical work and help them understand how the trades fit together.
A course for your plans
Compare focused introductory courses, longer practical programmes and routes combining several trades.
Come and see the centre
Discuss what you want to learn and arrange a visit before booking. We can help you decide how much training suits your goals.
Explore Our Trade Courses
Your Next Chapter Could Start Here
Tell us what you would like to learn, the experience you already have and the time available. We will help you compare the course options.
Call
01274 682199
Email
info@ytatraining.com
YTA Training
Unit 12a, Factory Street, Dudley Hill, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 9NW.
Media & Press Enquiries
Working on a story about adult retraining, practical trade skills, property renovation or small businesses? Contact YTA to discuss an interview, background information or a visit to our Bradford training centre.
We can also discuss student stories where the people involved are happy to take part.
Email info@ytatraining.com with the subject Media enquiry, or call 01274 682199.